Two Paths Diverge
by Regularamanda
Summary: In the episode 'The Road Not Taken' Sam doesn't ask about Jack, nor do we know if he was alive in that reality. But what if he was? Sam and Jack.
1. This was the Same

**This was the Same**

Colonel Samantha Carter sighed. Some days were good and some days were bad. This was one of those bad days. She wasn't in the right universe. Everything here was different, her hair, her love interests even her rank. She was stuck in an alternate universe and she wasn't sure if she'd be able to make it out. She was though glad that she was here, she'd been able to save this planet from an Ori attack. But this earth's Major Carter wasn't even around, she was dead.

Everyone in this universe thought that she was _Major _Samantha Carter when she was a Colonel. She had just gotten done with a press interview after having averted an Ori attack. In her reality the stargate wasn't public knowledge and it was a bit odd to have given a press conference.

Sam sighed again and stared at the gray wall of her guest quarters that had been given to her. This Sam's quarters. All she wanted was to go home. Home to a world where the stargate was still a secret and where the Ori hadn't planned an attack against earth. Home to Jack.

Here Major Carter had been married to Rodney Mckay, who knew where on earth Jack was. And for all she knew he could be dead. She swallowed at the thought. She was surprised when she had found out who this realities Carter was involved with. They've come across so many of alternate realities where her and Jack were together. Even last year when a bunch of alternate realities of SG-1's had come through the gate, many of them were involved with their realities Jack's. During the negotiations she'd asked about everyone in this reality…except about Jack. In the back of her mind she didn't want to know what had happened to him, they had cheated death so many times, there was a good possibility that in this reality he had been unlucky just once.

And of course the one alternate reality where she ended up, Jack wasn't here. It was seriously her luck. This must have been what it was like for Daniel all those years ago when he had been sent to an alternate reality and everything was different…but the same. Even that realities Sam and Jack were together.

She groaned and rolled over to stare at the other wall. She'd have to talk soon about being able to go home. She couldn't take this, not being able to do anything. She needed to be doing something…anything.

Suddenly a knock sounded at her door. She changed her position so that she was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Come in." She called figuring it was probably General Hammond.

She got the shock of her lifetime when the man walked in the door.

"Hey Sam." The beloved voice said as he shut the door behind him.

"Jack." She whispered. So he was alive in this reality.

He had his service dress on and Sam took notice that he was a Colonel in this reality. He took off his service dress jacket and put it on the chair.

Sam got stood up and Jack O'Neill walked over to her.

"So you changed you hair? I like it." He said grinning at her.

"Oh about that…" Sam said trailing off.

"So I heard you saved the planet, again." Jack asked her.

"Yes sir." Sam said formally.

Jack glanced at her, confusion written on his face. "What's with the sir?" He asked.

"Oh well you see…"

Jack held up a hand to silence her. "Just because we're in the SGC doesn't mean you have to call me that. Some people around here don't know about us but we are in your quarters, it's not like we have to hide our relationship for crying out loud."

"Relationship?" She squeaked out.

"Yup." Jack said as he moved closer to her.

Sam knew what was coming, especially because she had seen that look on her Jack's face so many times before.

Jack put his hands on either side of her face and kissed her.

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_Author's Note- Thanks for reading! This should be about 4 or 5 chapters long. Let me know if you liked it and I apologize for the shortness of the chapter, the next one should be longer._


	2. The Heart Doesn't Know the Difference

**The Heart Doesn't Know the Difference**

For a few seconds Sam kissed this Jack back. But she realized this kiss was different. It wasn't her Jack for one. It was almost as if she was kissing someone else.

Sam pulled away and looked into his eyes, reading confusion in their brown depths. Go figure, even this Jack's eyes could make her go weak in the knees.

"Why'd you pull away?" He whispered.

"Sir we need to talk." Sam told him nervously. God she had no idea how she was going to explain this to him.

"Drop the sir." Jack said raising his voice slightly. Something was definitely wrong here Jack realized.

"Maybe you should sit." Sam said quietly, indicating the chair at the desk. Jack sighed but did what she said.

"Would you mind telling me what's going on?" He asked confused.

"I know I look like your Sam…but I'm not."

Jack looked her up and down. "You mind explaining?"

Sam took a deep breath and sat back down on the bed a few feet away from him. She didn't want to hurt Jack but she knew that with her next words, she could be shattering his world. "I was working on an experiment in my reality and my lab was in a force shield, meanwhile your Samantha Carter was working on her experiment when there was an explosion and I got pulled through to this reality. I'm sorry, she's gone." Sam whispered. She read denial in his eyes.

"No..no…you have to be wrong." Jack said shaking his head. He got up off the chair and started pacing the room. "She can't be…I'm not buying it!" He said angrily, to no one in particular. "Other then the hair you look exactly like her for crying out loud." Jack sat down on the bed next to her. He leaned over and put his face in his hands.

Sam lightly touched his shoulder. "I'm sorry." She whispered. Jack looked up at her and she was startled by the tears in his eyes. She had never seen her Jack cry. He never gave into that sort of weakness, never let anyone see that kind of emotion from him. Always kept it carefully tucked behind a wall deep inside his heart.

This Jack was a broken man without his Sam. He'd lost her once because he hadn't the guts to actually talk to her. And then when he'd finally gotten her back, he'd vowed never again to let anything to stand in their way. And nothing had. Until right now. His Sam was dead. Gone from his arms forever and he didn't know how he was going to go on without her. Especially not when there was a Samantha carter in this reality…but she wasn't his. His heart didn't know that though. She had the same kissable lips as his Sam. The same long delectable neck. The same blonde hair that he loved to run his fingers through. And the same bright blue eyes. No his heart had no idea it wasn't her.

Jack leaned towards her and wrapped an arm around her waist, cradling her in a tight embrace. He put his face in her neck and a tear trickled from his eye.

Sam was surprised by the hug but she hugged him back. She wasn't completely sure of the pain he was going through, but she knew how she'd feel if she lost her Jack and another reality of him had turned up in his place.

He breathed out a shattered sigh and released her.

"I'm curious about something." Sam said.

"You curious about everything." He whispered, pain clearly written in his words. "What do you wanna know?"

Sam hesitated, maybe she shouldn't bring this up to him after the loss that he had just suffered. But she really was curious. "I've been told that I was married to Rodney Mckay…how do you fit into the picture?" She asked.

"Oh that…it's a long story." He said.

"I've got time."

Jack sighed and started the story. "A few years ago, shortly after Daniel ascended, Mckay came to help you save the planet and shortly after you two both started dating. Two years later, you married him. I couldn't watch everyday as you were married to him, so I retired and left the SGC."

"You didn't try to stop me?" She asked.

"I wanted you to be happy, even if you couldn't be with me." He said as he looked down at his hands. "And I thought he made you happy. I was wrong though, he didn't make you happy at all. You divorced him soon after. You, Teal'c and Daniel defeated the Gou'ald and then you came to me one day at my Cabin, and we talked. And went fishing, it was the start of it all." He said with a slight smile on his face, his thoughts miles away, to another time and place. Where all there was, was just him and Sam and a pond full of fish. It had been the happiest time of his life. The world had been at peace for that time.

"When you guys came across the Ori, I was recalled back to Washington to serve as overseer of home world security. Teal'c went off to join the new Jaffa nation, haven't seen him in a while." He thought sadly.

"And so here we are, the world's in turmoil and you're a hero." Jack said as he got off the bed. He needed to put some distance between them, because every time he looked at her, pain shot through his heart like a bullet and his heart was filled with longing. He tried to remember that she wasn't his, but it was so damn hard. All she had done before was put her hand on his shoulder and his body had instantly reacted to her touch. For all he knew this Sam was with someone else in her reality.

"So what's your reality like?" Jack asked as he shoved his hands into his pockets and looked at the ground.

"Well Cameron Mitchell and myself are the leaders of SG-1. I'm a Colonel and you're a General. Teal'c's still on SG-1. Oh the stargate is still a secret. And you and I have been together for the past year and a half." She said with a small smile.

This struck Jack's attention and his eyes collided with hers. "As in…" He said trailing off suggestively.

"Yeah." She said a grin stretching across her face.

Jack nodded his head in understand and sighed. "He's lucky."

"No, I'm the lucky one." Sam whispered.

Jack smiled softly at her, his brown eyes full of love and Sam felt a lump in her throat. She's done what she could here, it was time to go back, to Jack.

"I need to get back to my reality…to him. I'd really like your help." Sam told him.

Jack looked at her. The small selfish part of him didn't want to let her go, she was the last link to his Sam. But he knew that if he was her Jack, he'd be going crazy with worry.

"Yeah. I'll help." He said.

And she sent him a full Carter grin in return.

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_Author's Note- Thanks for reading! If you liked it let me know!_


	3. Death Changes Nothing

_Author's Note- This takes place a little bit later in the episode._

**Death Changes Nothing**

Jack had told Sam to talk to Mckay and ask for his help and Sam was surprised that it had actually worked. And now here she was on Jack's doorstep.

Sam knocked on Jack's door. Not her Jack's though. Who knows if she'd be able to get back. For all she knew she might be stuck here. This Jack still had the same cabin though and Sam smiled at the thought. Some things were just a universal certainty.

"Hi Jack." She said when he opened the door.

"Come on in." He said ushering her into the cabin.

"Mckay said he'd help me. Thanks for telling me to go to him." She said with a smile.

"No problem." He said as he led her to the couch.

"I do have some bad news though." She said as she sat down. "They're not going to let me go."

Jack sighed. "I had a feeling that they'd do that." He said as he sat down next to her.

"I can't stay here, I don't belong here." She told him.

"You'll think of something." He said with certainty.

"I hope…" Sam's voice trailed off as her eyes were drawn to a book sitting on the coffee table. She smiled when she realized what it was, a book on wormhole theory. She'd been reading the same book in her reality.

Jack's eyes were drawn to the book as well. "You were reading it to…"

"See what they have wrong." She said finishing the sentence for him. Brown eyes collided with blue ones.

"Yeah." He whispered. Clearing his throat he asked "Want something? Blue Jell-O?" He said as he got up off the couch.

"Oh…no thanks." She said.

Sam got up and followed him out to the kitchen but she stopped when she noticed a picture hanging on the wall.

It was picture of her other self, this reality's Sam, with her arms wrapped around Jack's neck. Jack's arms were wrapped around her waist and he was leaning in for a kiss. He wore that grin that for so many years had made her heart skip a beat. Sam wore a grin of her own as well. But what struck her the most was Jack's eyes. So full of love and contentment. Anyone who looked at the picture could see two people deeply in love with each other. The two people in the picture only had eyes for each other.

Sam slowly lifted her fingers to caress the picture frame. The love of the two was tangible.

"That picture was taken a few months ago, on a weekend when you weren't stuck at the SGC." Jack said from behind her.

Sam jumped and spun around at his voice. She looked into his eyes and sucked in a breath at his look.

Pure pain radiated from his eyes.

"You loved her." Sam whispered.

"I loved her for years, I will always love her. Her death doesn't change how I feel." He whispered.

Sam knew that Jack was the kind of man that when he gave his heart, he gave it unconditionally. And he had given this reality's Sam his heart.

"I'm sorry…I wish I could do something…" Sam said sadly.

Jack gave her on of his crooked smiles. "You're just like her you know." He said as he brushed her hair behind her ear.

"Well fundamentally we are the same person." She observed.

"You have the same gorgeous eyes, the same smile, the same…everything." Jack said sadly. "It's hard…" Jack whispered.

"I don't know what to say." Sam said as she took his hand. "I want my Jack too." She said as tears filled her eyes.

Jack's arms came around her and tears fell from both their eyes. They both cried for the one person they wanted so much. The one could never get back the woman he loved, and the other had no idea if she would ever get home again to see her Jack. They both took comfort in the fact that even though they weren't the same people, right now it didn't matter. The only people that could take away their pain was held in there arms.

Jack kissed her head and pulled back, wiping away a tear from her eye. "I'll get you back to him. I promise." He whispered to her.

Sam sent him a little smile. "Thank you Jack."

"Don't mention it. Just make sure he knows what a lucky pain in the ass he is alright?" Jack said joking with her.

Sam laughed. "I don't let him forget that."

Jack smiled at her and pulled away, the pain was still in his eyes, and Sam had a feeling that it would never truly heal. But at least he was starting to smile again.

"So Mckay has a plan that we think should work." Sam told him as they walked back into the living room.

Sooner or later, she would hopefully get back to her Jack, and she'd have to leave this Jack. And he'd be all alone Sam thought sadly.

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_Author's Note- Thanks for reading and if you liked it let me know! There will be 3 more chapters in this story._


	4. She Was Gone

_Author's Note- I'm so sorry everyone! My muse was onto other things, so I apologize for the long wait for this one! And also I pretty much left out all technical stuff in this chapter because they never exactly said in the episode how the device worked. Darn them. _

**She Was Gone**

"I should be done creating the inter-universal bridge in a few minutes." Mckay told her.

Sam smiled at him. "That's great, really. Thanks."

"Yeah well…" He said not looking at her.

Suddenly the door to the lab opened and Jack walked in.

"What are you doing here?" Mckay spat out.

"I'm here because Colonel Carter wants me here." Jack said with a shrug.

Jack knew that he wasn't exactly Rodney McKay's favorite person in the world. He was after all the reason that Sam had divorced him, mostly. And Jack figured he'd dislike himself as well if he had been in McKay's shoes. He didn't harbor any hostility towards McKay though, because when all was said and done, Jack had Sam's heart.

Rodney snorted. "Yeah why would she want you no good sorry…" He started to say but Sam interrupted him.

"McKay, stop!" She said angrily.

He looked at her and sighed. "Yeah you're right."

A few more minutes passed before Rodney's head snapped up. His eyes darted from Jack and back to Sam, realization dawning. "Oh, let me guess…you're with him in your reality as well?"

Sam just grinned at him.

Rodney groaned and mumbled. "That so figures." He sighed and got back to working on the bridge.

"Alright I'm done." He said a few minutes later.

"Thank you Rodney." Sam said with a small smile.

He looked into her eyes and then quickly averted them, looking uncomfortable.

"I'm not good at these things…Bye Sam." Rodney said as he walked out of the lab

Sam watched him go, a small smile on her face, before she turned back to look at Jack.

The moment had finally come, just as he knew it would. He knew that she would find a way to get home, but he hadn't expected this kind of pain in his heart. This Sam wasn't his Sam…but to his heart it felt like he was losing her once more.

He walked over to her and gently laid a finger under her chin, and tilted her face up to look at him.

"You're going home." He said with a small, sad smile.

"Yes."

"I'll miss her." Jack said sadly.

"I know." She said sadly.

"Before you go…can I say a goodbye?" He whispered.

Sam looked into his eyes and she knew what he meant. She nodded her head yes. She knew that he would be saying goodbye to his Samantha Carter, not to her.

He slowly leaned down, giving her enough time to change her mind. His lips pressed against hers reverently.

Jack pulled back and closed his eyes, hiding the pain that he felt from her. "You're not her…but you're close."

"I'm sorry for all that's happened Jack…for all that you've lost." Sam whispered to him.

"I lost you." He said as his eyes meet hers, his eyes filled with pain.

Sam smiled sadly at him.

"Make sure to tell him what a lucky pain in the ass he is alright?" Jack said trying to lighten the mood.

She laughed and nodded her head. "I'll be sure too."

"Good." Jack sent her a small smile. "I guess I better…" He said as he nodded his head at the observation room.

"Bye Jack." She said.

"Bye Sam." He said with tears in his eyes.

He walked around to the control room and stood at the window with his arms folded across his chest.

Sam smiled softly at him and waved. Then she pressed the button on the device.

In an instant she was gone. And he was all alone.

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_Author's Note- Thanks for reading and if you liked it let me know! There's two more chapters so hopefully I should have them out quicker then this chapter. I hope. _


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